Till We Meet Again
by karent79
Summary: What happens when Misaki's daughter meets Hinata's son? Can the same thing happen twice in one lifetime? Will previous wrongs finally be made right? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish I did, I do not own Maid Sama.

**Background:** After graduation, Takumi and Misaki got married. Having proven his intelligence and prowess in the business world, Takumi had finally been accepted back into his mother's family. He had been selected to run the local branch of the family business. This story is set 16 years after their high school graduation.

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Chapter 1: Early Morning Ramblings

It was early morning and all was quiet in the Usui household. Unbeknownst to her parents, asleep in the next room, a young woman was lying in her bed unable to sleep. Her name was Manami Usui and she was starting her first day of high school in the morning. Over the summer, she and her parents had pored through catalogs of local high schools, trying to find the perfect match. Her parents' only requirement was that she find a school where she would be happy. They trusted her judgment in this matter completely. Like her mother, she'd always been extremely reliable and competent. Like her father, she'd proven to be extremely intelligent. She absorbed everything with a speed that often astounded those around her.

**"What else could you expect from Misaki and Takumi's child?"** This was the explanation usually given by anyone well acquainted with her parents.

The only thoughts that were going through Manami's mind at this moment were of all the changes that would be occurring over the next couple years of her life. Her parents met and fell in love at Seika High and she grew up on stories of their escapades when they were her age. Truthfully, that was one of the reasons that she'd chosen to go to their old school. She'd grown up believing in fairy tales and she'd always been taught that her life was what she made it.

_'Will I find love there, like mom and dad?' _

However, she was practical and knew that it was pointless to try to live a fairy tale.

_'Well, time to get some sleep. _

_I need to get up early and I've got a long day ahead of me.'_

As she drifted off to sleep, a thought popped in her mind.

_'It never hurts to dream a little though, does it?'_

The thought disappeared as quickly as it had appeared in the first place.

Across town, someone else was also having trouble sleeping and for similar reasons. Just like Manami, he was also starting Seika High in the morning. Just like her, he'd grown up on stories of his dad's time at the school. That wasn't all, though. He remembered seeing a dreamy look in his father's eyes when he talked about his childhood love and also of his greatest rival. They'd all been friends through high school, of course, but that didn't lessen the pain when she'd eventually chosen between the two. This particular young man wanted to see the place and people that made his father into the man that he'd eventually become.

_'I wonder if dad was anything like me?'_

The name of this young man? Toshio Hinata, the son of Shintani Hinata, Misaki's childhood friend. His father had grown up loving Misaki and competing with Takumi for her affections. It appeared that even though they've never met before, their lives had been connected since the day of their birth. Would these two ever meet and what would happen when that time came? That was yet to be seen.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came almost too soon. Manami woke up and glanced at her alarm clock. It read 6 am but it felt to her like she'd only just gotten to sleep. However, she was wide awake already, even though it was still so early. She'd realized that she'd forgotten to set her alarm last night and if it had been anyone else, they might've overslept. She was too much her mother's daughter, though, and oversleeping rarely if ever happened in this house. To her mother, punctuality was everything, and her father, acknowledging his wife's strengths, gladly gave her the rule of the house. He knew that when it came to running things, Misaki wouldn't settle for less than perfection.

"_She's an expert at this kind of thing, so it's easier to just go along with it."_

Manami remembered her father whispering that to her one morning during her elementary school days. Her demand for nothing less than perfection was also one of the reasons that Satsuki passed the running of the Maid café over to her. Satsuki owned the shop and still had final say over important matters concerning it, but the day to day concerns were left to Misaki and her impeccable judgment. She'd never fully grasped the concept behind the café.

"_What do I know about running a business like this?"_

Misaki didn't turn the offer down. In fact, she was secretly pleased about the idea. She'd always had a lot of fun with her coworkers and she considered all of them 'family'. After Misaki took over the day to day affairs of the café, its profits doubled and there'd even been talks of expansion. Therefore, in addition to her paternal family and her maternal grandmother and aunt, Manami had grown up with the crew from the shop as her substitute 'aunts'. It could be almost guaranteed that they would be there, at the entrance ceremony this morning, to see off their not so little 'Ami'.

Manami ran downstairs to see her parents already up and ready. They'd both taken a 'sick day' to see her off. She sat at the table to see that her mother had already prepared a plate for her. Remarkably, it looked pretty good. She suspected her dad had a hand in the preparing of this morning's meal. Her mom's experience in the kitchen was limited. At least, that was until Takumi had taken it upon himself to teach her. He was subtle about it. She'd never approve of him teaching her. She had too much pride for that, but whenever he'd suddenly appear in the kitchen she'd accept any 'pointers' he'd give. Misaki might never be as good as her dad when it came to cooking, but at least she didn't burn everything she touched anymore.

'_Dad's sooo sneaky, but he knows mom very well.'_

It was amazing to see her parents together. It seemed like no matter what was said, Takumi never got irritated with her mom. He would humor her, just making her even angrier. It didn't matter though, because Misaki could never stay mad at Takumi for long. For most of their lives, the two of them had had to be choosy about whom they could rely on. They'd never had a chance to be totally open with anyone before. That changed when they met each other, though. Manami remembered her thoughts of the night before and her mind cleared enough to realize that now wasn't the time to think of the past. She hurried through the rest of breakfast and rushed back to her room to finish getting ready for school.

'_Today's the first day of school. Definitely can't be late.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Toshio awoke to the sound of someone in the kitchen.

'_What is dad doing in there? Is he cooking? Shouldn't he be getting ready for work? He's gonna be late for work again if he doesn't hurry up.' _

Half asleep, he slowly made his way to the kitchen. Sure enough Shintani was at the counter preparing something for the two of them.

"Dad? Why are you still here? Shouldn't you have left for work already?"

"Nope, I took today off. How could you expect me to miss my son's first day of high school?"

With a solemn tone in his voice, he added, "I wouldn't mind seeing how the old place has changed either."

Toshio knew that his dad kept a lot of his feelings about Seika bottled up. So much had happened to him there and no matter how much someone tried, sometimes you just couldn't leave unwanted memories behind. Not wanting to upset his dad, he held his tongue and sat at the table. There he sat and waited until his dad had two plates in hand, one for each of them. As he sat there eating, he remembered that it hadn't always been like this. He'd spent the first few years of his life with his mom. Up until about 12 years ago, he never even realized that he had a dad. It had to be hard on Shintani, being a single dad. Times weren't always easy for them and Shintani often had to go without something that he could've had otherwise. Toshio respected his dad for that. Shintani had always made sure that he'd never had to go without.

'_He's had it rough, but he's tried his hardest and now things are really paying off. I'm gonna make sure he has a reason to be proud of me.'_

If only he'd known that Shintani's thoughts that morning were similar to his. He watched his son eat and remembered two important nights in his life, both of which concerned Toshio. Shintani recalled both nights as clearly as if they were yesterday. The first time was the night of his high school graduation. He should have felt ecstatic, victorious, and all kinds of other positive emotions that night. In some ways he did. However, no matter how happy he was, he couldn't keep the depression from sinking in. He knew that after this night, he'd probably never get a chance to see his childhood friend, Misaki, again. Ever since she realized her true feelings for Takumi Usui, she'd pushed her oldest friend to the side. He knew that she'd never meant to do that to him, but it seemed that things were different now than they had been when they were younger.

'_We're just not the same people anymore, I guess.'_

They'd gradually grown apart over the years and now it seemed that she only had eyes for Takumi, her first and only love. He couldn't deny that he was happy for her. Her father's abandonment of his family had left very deep scars in her heart and it was once feared that they'd never heal. Takumi, however, with his careful treatment of her, had slowly begun to heal those very wounds. Even though he was happy for her, the feeling was tearing him apart.

'_I wanted to be the one to heal her heart.'_

The feelings threatened to overwhelm him sometimes and tonight he felt like he just needed to escape. Seeing the two of them together earlier just made him realize how much pain he was in and there was only one way that he knew of to make the pain go away, at least for a while. So he proceeded to drink himself into oblivion. It wasn't something that he'd normally do but tonight he definitely wasn't feeling himself. He doesn't remember how he made it there, but he found himself sitting at the park and drinking until the world around him started slowly spinning. He heard an angel's voice calling out to him.

"You look like you could use a friend. Mind if I sit with you?"

His eyes focused long enough to see a beautiful, long haired 'angel' seat herself beside him on that lonely bench. They talked for a while and he didn't know exactly when it happened, but he felt tears begin to roll down his cheeks. He heard comforting words come from between her cherubic lips but when they seemed to have no effect, she hugged him. She smelled so sweet and her touch was so warm and gentle, he swore that he'd fallen in love. In that frame of mind, it was doubtful that he would be able to move but that apparently wasn't the case, as he'd found when he'd woken up in an unfamiliar apartment the following morning. The 'angel' was nowhere in sight and he realized that that was probably for the best. This was the first time he'd ever done anything so reckless and he was ashamed of the way he'd behaved. He knew that it was unlikely that he'd ever see that girl again.

'_It's funny. I didn't even know her name.'_

He should have known that he'd see her. In fact 3 years later, he met up with her again on a night that would change his life as he'd known it. After his graduation night, he'd found a job at a small, neighborhood store. He'd slowly worked his way up the ranks until he'd finally become the store supervisor. It was a thankless job and it didn't pay well, but it was something that Shintani really enjoyed doing. He was satisfied with his life, if not completely content, but it was enough for him. One night while he was closing up, he heard a quiet knock at the door.

"We're closed for the night", he yelled and went back to work.

He assumed that whomever it was left, but he was wrong. He let himself out the back door and noticed the 'girl' from years before holding the hand of a small boy and standing out in the rain. The boy looked oddly familiar to him.

"He's yours", she whispered in a tear filled voice.

"This is your son, Toshio."

Shintani saw the tears in her red rimmed eyes and wondered why she hadn't tried to find him sooner. He wasn't terribly upset about finding out he was a father. When he was younger, he'd always dreamed about having a family and children. Of course, the family included Misaki as the mom, but he lied to himself anyway. _'What's a little change in plans?'_

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It was never the right time."

"Why now then?"

"I can't keep him. I've run out of options. He's run out of options. Please watch out for him."

With those words she ran into the night. Shintani was stunned and by the time he'd come out of it, she was nowhere to be found. He looked at his son. Toshio was standing there with tears in his eyes.

"Mommy? Why did she leave? Was I bad?"

Shintani's heart went out to the younger version of himself.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Come on kid. Let's get you something to eat."

He took the young boy's hand and they also walked into the night.

"Dad are you okay?"

With those words, Shintani awoke from his memories. His son was looking at him with a slightly concerned look in his eyes.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Toshio knew something was wrong but didn't press him on the subject. Glancing at the clock he realized that it was getting late and he had to be at school in an hour.

"Dad, it's already 7:30. We gotta leave in 5 minutes or I'm gonna be late."

The two rose from the table, rushing to do what needed to be done, and were out the door before 5 minutes had passed.

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Wow, didn't expect this chap to be so long but i really wanted to explain Toshio's origins. Believe it or not I actually cut this chap in half. Guess prequels are in the future for both Shio and Ami's origins.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to everyone that alerted, favorited, and reviewed this story. We've got a while to go and I hope you enjoy the ride. BTW, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. My computer and I were battling it out but as you can see, I won.

Karent79

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Manami and her parents had almost reached the school gates when they heard voices calling out to them.

"**Ami, Misa, Usui, over here!"**

She looked in the direction the voices had come from and saw her 'aunts' Satsuki, Honoka, Suburu, and Erika standing there, waiting for their arrival. When Satsuki found out about today, she declared it an unofficial holiday and so the Café was closed for the day. The group stood there for a bit and talked about the importance of this day and Manami received many 'words of wisdom' and pointers to make the upcoming school year a success.

"**Come on, talk later. She's gonna be late if she doesn't get a move on", **Aoi muttered as he headed their way.

Manami watched her 'uncle' walk up to them and with a glare for her mom and dad. After finally growing out of his 'internet idol' stage, he'd switched his focus to running his own internet website. Ironically enough, many current 'idols' were associated with his site and had even become popular when it was discovered that they were discovered by the former idol, Aoi. She'd had a slight crush on Aoi ever since she was a little girl but of course, he'd always just looked on her as an extended part of his family. She'd always suspected that he'd had a crush on her mom during his younger years.

'_That's why he treats her that way. He's embarrassed that she never returned his feelings. That's also why he doesn't like dad. He looks at him as rival even after all these years.'_

Manami looked around for her grandmother and aunt, Suzuna, but they were nowhere in sight.

'_They're not here yet. Grandma's probably waiting for Suzuna again. Hope they make it in time.'_

Misaki, sensing the reason for her daughter's distress, tried to soothe her daughter with,"**They'll be here. You know that they wouldn't miss this for the world. Suzuna probably just got held up at work. You know your grandmother. She still worries about us even though we're grown up now."**

'_Mom always knows just what to say.'_

Knowing her mom was right, Manami's mind cleared. She headed toward the school grounds, thinking about what was coming up during the ceremony and didn't notice the person standing in her path.

"**Hey, watch where you're……." **Toshio muttered as he turned around to see who'd just run into him.

He stopped when he saw the faraway look in her eye.

"**You okay? You're not hurt are you?"**

Coming back to reality, Manami replied with an unsure tone, "**Yeah. Sorry, I wasn't watching ****where I was going." **

Seeing her family a few feet away and watching her interaction with the unfamiliar boy, "**Sorry but I have to go."**

Watching her run back toward the group that he assumed was her family, Toshio wondered to himself, "_She seemed kinda nervous. Did I scare her?'_

Hinata saw the exchange between his son and the girl as he was headed back his son's way and jokingly questioned him when he finally reached him.

"**You met a cute girl already? What's her name and when can I meet her?"**

"**Dad, it wasn't like that. We just bumped into each other. Literally. I don't know why but I think she was scared of me."**

"**Scared of you? Well, let's go set her straight."**

Rolling his eyes at his dad's joke, he glanced in the direction of the girl and her family. Wanting to find out what about this girl had so caught his son's interest, Hinata looked her way also. He didn't know what he'd see when he saw her but he sure didn't expect to see a familiar face. One he knew as well if not better than his own. The familiar face he saw was that of his childhood friend and crush, "**Misaki?"**


	5. Chapter 5

"**Misaki? Is it really you? What are you doing here?" **Shintani questioned as he made his way hurriedly toward his old friend.

Pointedly ignoring Takumi, he continued, **" Is this your daughter? She looks just like you. Well, except for her eyes. Those definitely came from 'him'."**

Manami heard the tension in his voice as he spoke those words.

_'Who is this man? How does he know mom and dad?_

She watched the boy from earlier coming toward the little group with a determined expression on his face.

"**What's he doing here?**" Manami muttered to herself silently.

"_Is that man his dad?"_

Unconsciously, she started fidgeting when he stopped within an arm's length of her right side. Her suspicions proved to be right when he impatiently called out Shintani.

"**Dad, the ceremony's gonna start any minute. You better find a seat before you get stuck standing 'again'."**

He glanced out of the corner of his eye while he was speaking and noticed that Manami was staring at the two with a confused expression planted on her face.

"**Toshio, it's that time already? First, let me introduce you to someone. Then we can go find our seats."**

After turning his son's attention toward the small group, he started to make introductions.

"**Toshio, this is Misaki Ayuzawa. We've known each other since we were little kids."**

Next, he turned toward Takumi, who'd been standing there silently throughout the exchange.

"**This is Takumi. He's a friend of ours from Seika and as you can see is married to Misaki."**

That's when everything clicked in Toshio's mind. This was his dad's old childhood friend and crush and the man that she'd married. He had to respect his dad's control. He'd been relatively calm throughout the entire exchange even though he'd probably been churning inside.

"**Misa, Takumi, this is Toshio. He's my son and as of today, a first year at Seika High. I'm guessing that this is your daughter's first year too."**

"**Yes, this is Manami's first year"**, replied Misaki.

"**Maybe they'll have class together. They can be friends like we were."**

"**Yes, maybe they will be."**

"**Dad, we really gotta go"**, Toshio persisted.

He looked over at Manami and saw that she was relieved that the conversation was over. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife and he had to admit that he'd wanted it to end too.

"**Thank you"**, Manami said with her eyes and hoped he'd understood.

So, in the end, Manami's family, now joined by Shintani and Toshio, headed toward the school grounds and the seating area.

"_Guess he's not so bad. How'd he know that that whole conversation was making me uncomfortable. Maybe we 'could' be friends one day."_

Toshio was thinking along the same lines.

_'Guess she's just really shy and it looks like she's easily embarrassed too.'_

They'd made it to the seating area and were trying to decide on their seats when Suzuna and Manami's grandmother finally made it.

"**Sorry we're late. I had to work late. Mom wanted to wait for me so we could ride in together. I was so worried we weren't going to make it."**

Suzuna noticed a familiar face standing slightly off to the side.

"**Shintani, is that you? Wow, you look great! Is this your son?"**

At Shintani's nod, she continued, **"He looks just like you."**

They continued to reminisce about old times and what had gone on in their lives since while they seated themselves. After a few minutes, they remembered the two students and shooed them on their way. There was still a little preparing to do before the ceremony began.

"**Okay, it's time for you two to shine", **Manami's grandmother coaxed.

"**Good luck and most importantly have fun. We're rooting for you two. Go on and remember what I said."**

Misaki and Shintani watched them walk off and realized that they probably would be really good friends, if not now then one day. They looked at each other.

_'Guess history really does repeat itself.'_


	6. Chapter 6

Amazingly enough, the ceremony went without a hitch and after a couple wrong turns, Manami found her classroom.

"**Class 1-1. I finally found it. I wonder how come mom and dad are so good at stuff like this but I have no sense of direction. Maybe I got it from grandmother", **Manami murmured to herself.

She walked cautiously into the classroom.

'_Looks like I'm the first one here.'_

She decided to take a seat toward the back of the classroom and close to the window. Then she started preparing herself for her first day as a high school student. She'd finally gotten herself all settled in when two boys came in. They were deep in conversation and didn't notice the lone girl sitting by herself in the back of the classroom.

'_I guess they're my classmates. I wish I knew someone else going to this school. I wouldn't feel so out of place.' _

Toshio's face popped up in her mind for a split second before disappearing.

_' Well, I guess I kinda do know someone that goes here. I do miss my old friends though.'_

The boys were just deciding on places to sit when they finally noticed Manami silently watching them.

"**Hey, you're the class rep, aren't you?" **

When she didn't answer the first boy, the second one started in on her.

"**We heard about you. Everyone's talking about the girl that skipped a couple grades and became our class rep."**

"**I bet she bribed someone. There's no way that a girl like her could've even given a speech like the one she gave earlier. Did your mommy and daddy help you?"**

"**I bet they wrote it for her."**

Manami finally answered shyly,** "No. I didn't get help and I didn't bribe anyone."**

"**She speaks?" **

"**She's lying. There's no a way a little kid like her wrote that speech."**

While they were standing over Manami, teasing her, a voice came from the doorway.

"**Shut up you guys! Just leave her alone."**

All three looked toward the door to see who'd just spoken. The two boys' faces lost all color and Manami's eyes widened when they saw that Toshio was leaning against the wall right by the door.

"**Daichi, Ryuu, you're just mad cause she's way smarter than you are."**

"**Shio, did you see hear about her scores? How could she get perfect scores? You didn't even get perfect scores and you were the smartest one in the whole school"**, Daichi complained.

Ryuu added, **"Aren't you mad? Even if you aren't, we are. Everyone thought that you were gonna be class rep. I mean, you were better than everyone at sports and you had the best grades. You deserved it!"**

Toshio laughed at their reasoning for picking on Manami.

"**Why should I be mad at her for being smarter than me? Skipping grades just shows how smart she really is and I bet she had to work really hard to get this far. Didn't you?"**

Manami nodded her head sheepishly.

"**See, told you. She's earned it and I'm impressed. Besides, she's kinda cute. I'd be stupid to get upset with a cute girl, wouldn't I."**

He laughed and winked at her. Manami blinked a little and blushed at the comments he just made and that only made his crooked grin that much wider.

"**I think I might sit right here",** Toshio said, pointing at the seat to right of Manami.

"**Just to keep an eye on her. Can't let other guys get too close to her, can I?"**

Daichi and Ryuu laughed nervously and went back to their seats.

"**They're intimidated by him? Hmmm."**

She caught his hidden meaning behind what he'd just said. He was warning them off and letting them know that she was under his protection. She knew that it wouldn't be long before the whole school knew about what had happened in the past few minutes.

_'I hate being the center of attention. That's one reason that I wanted to go school here. I doubt anyone here knows about my family.'_

Manami always worried whether her classmates really liked her for who she was or for what she was. Many of the kids only wanted to be friends with her because her dad was the heir of a very wealthy family. Her parents had tried to protect her as much as they could, but they couldn't always be there. She'd realized at a very early age that she couldn't trust everyone. That's when she learned to keep to herself. It was depressing to only be liked for what you had. She had been friends with a couple girls but that was all over now.

"**Hello in there. Did you fall asleep on me?"**

Manami awoke from her thoughts to see Toshio looming over her with a very worried look on his face.

_'This is the second time I've done this around him. He must think I'm crazy.'_

"**You okay?"**

"**Yeah, just thinking about something."**

"**You know what? That's the most you've said since we first met. Don't talk much do you? That's okay, I'll do all the talking",** Toshio said laughingly, trying to ease her fears.

"**Can I tell you a secret?"**

Manami nodded her head slightly at his question.

"**I 'was' kinda upset at first but I got over it once I met you. You worked so hard and you deserve the recognition. Actually, it's nice not bein the center of attention."**

He winked for the second time since he came in and she didn't know if he was serious or not. She did know, however, that he was really good at putting her mind at ease. She was so worried that she wouldn't make any friends and it looked like she'd made one already. She smiled. Toshio's eyes lit up when up when he saw her smile. That reaction was the last one he'd expected.

_'She's really pretty when she smiles. I wonder why she doesn't do it more often. Oh well, maybe she'll just smile for me.'_

"**Thanks, Toshio, for bein there for me"**, Manami's smile still hadn't left her face.

"**Call me Shio."**


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone. I am so, so sorry for taking so long to update. We've had so much goin on lately that I'm having a hard time keeping up. Well, you're not here to listen to me. You want the new chap so here you go. Enjoy and thanks to everyone that favorited/reviewed/etc/etc. You guys keep me going!!!! See you on the other side, Karent79

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Manami realized soon after the other students started appearing that Toshio must have been extremely popular in his old school. It seemed that as soon as he was within their sight that everyone came to greet him. Judging by many of the glares aimed her way, he was definitely a hit with the girls.

_'That's not a big surprise. Something about him just seems to attract people.'_

To his credit, Toshio tried to introduce her to everyone that he'd known in middle school, which was the majority of their classmates. That was met with one or a mix of the following reactions: curiosity, disinterest, or hostility.

'_Apparently, Daichi and Ryuu were right.'_

Obviously, everyone had assumed Toshio would take his rightful place at the top of the class and having some unknown girl take the spot that belonged to 'their' Toshio was a shock.

_'I probably would have reacted the same way if I were in their shoes.'_

Being the object of so much scrutiny was unnerving to a girl like her. She was uncomfortable being at the center of so much attention, especially from people she'd only just met. She sighed in frustration at somehow ending up in this situation again. Hearing the sigh, Toshio realized that she'd probably been uncomfortable with all the attention he'd sent her way.

_'Guess she's just not ready for all this. It's probably just too much for her to take in all at once.'_

He refrained from introducing the few remaining stragglers that came their way and just decided to let her take in new things and people at her pace. Just before the teacher walked in, while everyone was still getting settled in, he turned toward her.

" **You okay?"**

She nodded in response.

"**I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that.'**

She stared at him silently, not knowing what kind of response he expected to that. She shouldn't have worried because he wasn't finished speaking.

"**Those guys didn't mean to act like that. You were just a shock to them, that's all."**

She gave him a skeptical look and it made him feel a little guilty.

"**Just give them some time to get to know you. It'll get better. Like I said, they didn't mean any harm."**

She sighed again for the second time.

"**I hope you're right", **and with that she turned toward the front of the class where the teacher had anxiously had been trying to get everyone's attention.

Over the next couple hours the teacher the explained what was expected of the class and the class rules. After he'd gone over all the formalities, he started lecturing in the first couple subjects that they would be studying this semester. Now, everything was almost as Manami had expected her first day of class to be. She followed along with what the teacher was writing on the the board but she could swear that she felt someone watching he every move, expecting her to slip up in some way. She looked around and didn't see anyone looking her way, but that feeling just wouldn't go away. She turned toward Toshio and even though he wasn't looking at her, just his very presence put her at ease.

_'Funny, I just met him and I'm already finding myself depending on him for so much.'_

Remembering her past interactions with other students, people she thought that she could trust, she realized that she still wasn't sure of his intentions.

_'Why would someone like him want to be friends with someone like me?'_

It was hard for her to trust anyone other than her family. After all those years of people saying that they wanted to be her friend and then pushing her away when they didn't get what they'd wanted or even expected, she'd learned to be cautious about letting others get too close. She rationalized that if she didn't let anyone in that they couldn't hurt her. She'd been that way for so long that now it was almost second nature fro her to be alone.

_'It's just easier that way. For everybody involved.'_

Lunchtime came around sooner than she'd thought and Manami found herself eating lunch with Toshio. They'd both brought lunches from home. Her dad had apparently made her lunch before he left this morning. She could tell because her mom tended to throw things together, she'd get the hang of it eventually, but her dad made everything with a professional style that would always irritate her mom into hysterics.

_'Dad loves getting under her skin for some reason.'_

Manami looked over at Toshio's lunch and after some careful consideration on her part, she realized that he'd made his own lunch.

_'He made his own lunch? What boy his age actually makes his own lunch?'_

As she wondered to herself over that topic, she felt eyes on her again. She turned around to see if she could figure out who'd been glaring holes in her back, but this time she actually caught the guilty party, in this case make it parties, in the act. She realized that a couple girls that she'd met earlier were watching the two of them intently. They knew she noticed them watching her but that didn't stop them from staring, in fact, it just made them stare even more.

"**Shouldn't you spend time with the others too? You don't have to spend all your time with me."**

"**Maybe I wanted to eat lunch with you. Is there something wrong with wanting to eat lunch with a friend?"**

Manami heard the hurt in his voice when he said it and she apologized, **"I'm sorry, Toshio."**

He rested his head on his head and replied in a teasing tone, **"I want you to feel comfortable around me. Besides I wanted to see if I could make you smile again. You have a really pretty smile."**

He grinned and shocked Manami into blushing and letting a tiny grin escape.

"**Thanks", **she tried to remember what he wanted to be called and, suddenly remembering, finished off with, **"Shio."**

Her sudden use of his nickname caused Toshio to blush, _'She actually remembered?'_

"**I guess if you want to and only if you want to, I'm not forcing you to, you can call me Ami."**

It was the first time that she'd ever given anyone besides her family, natural and honorary, permission to use that name. It was something that her aunt Suzuna started when she'd been just a little girl. It was special to her and her family used it only when they were alone. It showed him that she really wanted to trust in him and his offer of friendship.

"**Ami? It suits you."**

With that the two went back to eating in companionable silence.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the very, very late update. A lot has been going on and it's been hard to keep up but to appease those of you that are about ready to kill me, I have 3 new chaps for you. Enjoy and reviews are always appreciated. karent79

* * *

School had been in session for a couple of weeks and other than the occasional glare from some of the girls, things had been going well for Manami. Since Toshio had deigned to befriend her and basically take her under his wing, she hadn't had any problems with the other students. She hadn't made friends with anyone other than Toshio though. She just still wasn't sure of them yet.

_'Wonder what's in store for us today', _a dazed Manami thought to herself while sitting at her desk.

She looked over at Toshio, standing with some of his friends by the door. After the first day when they'd argued about him spending all of his time with her, he began spend more of his time with the other students.

_'He does eat his lunch with me and we walk to the train station together, so it's no big deal.'_

As if sensing her thoughts, Toshio glanced her way for a few seconds and then went back to his conversation. Manami felt a chill run down her spine.

_'He always does that', _Manami murmured to herself._ 'Can he read my mind?'_

The classroom door opened and the homeroom teacher came in and slowly made his way toward the front of the class. It turned out that their homeroom teacher, Mr Yukimura, had been a former classmate of her parents. He'd also served as vice president of the student council while her mother had been president.

_'That's back when mom was known as the 'demon president' by the boys', _Manami giggled to herself. _'I still can't believe he idolized mom and dad.'_

Mr Yukimura was also best friends with the school principal, Mr Kanou. They were a very unlikely pair but it seemed that they complimented each other very well.

"**What's so funny?"**

"**Hmmm?" **Manami looked up to see Toshio standing there.

"**You were sitting there giggling about something."**

"**Just thinking."**

He sat in his seat, still watching her, and decided he'd just leave it alone for now.

"**Class, I've got good news for you. Your P.E. teacher has finally shown up, so it looks like today's gonna be your first P.E. class", **Mr Yukimura looked as excited as the class even though it hadn't exactly been his best class when he'd gone to school there.

The class should have started the first week of school but, due to unforeseen circumstances, he hadn't been able to make it until now. Rather than try to find a substitute teacher for the class at the last minute, he'd just made it a free period to work on homework, study, or do anything else school related. There had been a lot of speculation among students over why exactly he hadn't been able to make it to class.

_'I was wondering when he was going to finally show up for class', _Manami thought to herself.

Manami glanced Toshio's way to see that he, like many of the boys, was ecstatic over the news.

_'He was good at sports so no wonder he's excited.'_

Class 1-1 was joined by class 1-2 for their first class. The teacher apologized for the delay in starting the class and split the class into smaller groups. He explained that the groups that they had been divided into would be the groups that they would be teamed up with for the rest of the school year. Manami looked around at the students gathered in the gym and noticed Toshio talking with some unfamiliar boys.

_'Guess I should make the most of this.'_

First off, the teacher had the whole class warmup. They started with stretching exercises and moved on to situps and pushups. Not wanting to appear out of place, Manami kept to the pace of the other girls. Truthfully, Manami had been looking forward to the P.E. class as much as Toshio. She'd been disappointed when she'd heard that the class had been postponed. When the teacher felt that they'd warmed up enough, he sent them to run laps around the soccer field.

"**We'll divide up into two groups for running laps. First, I need the girls on the field. After that the boys will run. Girls line up and you'll start when I say go."**

The girls of classes 1-1 and 1-2 made their way to the field and started when the teacher said they could. It wasn't a race but Manami had always enjoyed running. She loved the feel of the cool breeze against her skin and blowing through her hair.

_'It almost feels like I'm flying.'_

Not noticing her surroundings any longer, she started to gradually increase in speed, and didn't notice when she started passing the other girls. She hadn't even realized that she'd passed everyone else until she'd come back around the track and was coming back on the girls that she'd already passed up. Like many other times before, she ran her heart out.

_'I really do love this feeling.'_

Finally noticing the other girls, she slowed down again to their pace so as not to stand out but by then it was already too late. Everyone had already seen what she'd done and the guys were awestruck by the sight of her running. The girls were shocked. They'd never seen anyone run like that for fun. Most of them only ran because they had to but they definitely didn't enjoy it like Manami obviously had. Toshio was surprised because he never would have thought that she'd have good grades and be athletic too.

_'She's more like me than I thought. I've never seen that expression on her face before. She looked so relaxed and carefree.'_

The girls left the field so the boys could take their turn but before Manami had a chance to take a seat in the grass, the teacher stopped her.

"**Where did you learn to run like that?"**

Slightly embarrassed at being the center of attention, she answered,** "I don't know, sir. I've just always enjoyed running."**

With a gleam in his eye, the teacher replied, **"I've been thinking of starting a track team. Would you be interested in joining? I've never seen anyone run like that in my life. You'd be an asset to our team."**

"**Me? You 'really' want me to join the team?"**


	9. Chapter 9

With very little encouragement from their teacher, Manami joined the track team. She'd finally become involved in an activity that she really enjoyed. Even though she hadn't made any friends other than Toshio yet, she took comfort in the fact that at least she'd found other students that she shared a common interest with. She felt someone watching her from the bleachers and recognized a familiar face among the crowd.

Laughing to herself yet again, she thought, _'He really is very reliable, isn't he?'_

She felt a certain degree of pleasure at the thought. From the first day of practice, he'd been there on the sidelines cheering her on like she was the only one out there on the track. She smiled back at him and found herself actually wishing for practice to be over so that she could join him.

Wistfully she wondered, _' When did I start wishing for him to see only me?'_

Manami really found herself enjoying the times that they spent together. On the way to the station every day, they would talk about anything and everything. Even the silence in between was comforting to her. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the coach calling out her name. She ran a couple laps with the rest of the team and before she knew it, practice 'was' over for the day. She headed towards the bleachers where Toshio was waiting patiently. When she came within range, he reached out and tugged on a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail.

"**So what were you daydreaming about that forced the coach to call your name twice?"**

Unnerved by his question she replied, **"Nothing, I was just thinking."**

A slight pink tinge appeared on her cheeks with her evasion of the question and even though Manami was sure she gotten away with a half truth, Toshio knew better.

_'She doesn't realize yet that I can tell when she's lying. Well, I'll leave her to her secret this time.'_

He took her book bag out her hands effortlessly and threw it over his shoulder. It was such a common occurrence now that neither of them even realized that it could've easily been mistaken for something else.

"**You ready to go, Ami?"**

Her cheeks darkened a slight bit more as she nodded and they headed off the school grounds. They made their way down the crowded road on the way toward the station and Toshio started thinking about the conversation that he'd had with his father that morning. His dad was remembering his childhood with Misaki and how he'd really missed her all these years. Then he came up with an idea. He suggested inviting Manami and her parents over for dinner one evening, yes even her dad was invited. Toshio pondered the thought even though he wasn't sure it was such a great plan and promised his dad he'd at least bring it up.

_'Well, can't hurt to try, right?'_

"**My dad and I were talking this morning"**, Toshio blurted out suddenly.

Confused by the comment, Manami responded, **"Yes?"**

"**He brought up your mom and their childhood and thought about inviting your family over for dinner one evening."**

Manami thought about it for a bit and replied, **"My parents have been really busy lately but I'm sure they would since he asked. It could be fun, right?"**

Truthfully, the two of them had their doubts about the situation but neither wanted to voice it out loud. They'd made it to the station by that time and were waiting on their respective trains to arrive at the platform. Manami's showed up first as it usually did and she waved as she made her way toward the opening doors. She sat in the nearest seat that faced the platform and watched him out the window as the train headed slowly away from the station. A multitude of thoughts flooded her head as she contemplated seeing Toshio outside of school.

_'It might be nice seeing him outside of school. I hope mom and dad say yes.'_

Later that night as she lay in bed waiting for sleep, she thought about her parents response to the invitation. Misaki was pleased to receive an invitation from her old friend whereas her dad's face lacked any expression at all. Her mom agreed that they should go since Shintani invited them after all. Her husband glared at his wife for a second before agreeing grudgingly that they should go.

_'Dad just can't say no to mom, can he?'_

Obviously, he wasn't thrilled about the idea but he knew it would make his wife happy so who was he to deny her when she asked for so little. All that needed to be decided upon was the date and they'd go from there. Manami was excited about it and couldn't wait to see Toshio so she could tell him the news. Finally drifting off to sleep, she imagined what his reaction would be when she told him.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm gonna apologize in advance for the time skips. If you'd like you can flame me all you want and I won't argue at all. Okay maybe a little bit. Working on the next chapter now so let me know what you think.

* * *

The next morning, Manami sat at her desk and waited for Toshio to arrive. She'd arrived at school earlier than usual that morning because she was having problems containing her enthusiasm. She was unsure about her excitement over the matter but convinced herself it was because of her mom finally getting to visit with her childhood friend. She'd had a little trouble sleeping last night but decided that it must be for the same reason. She rested her head on her arm and waited for the other students to arrive. She barely shut her eyes when she heard the chair next to her scraping softly against the floor. She opened her eyes to see Toshio silently watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"**Don't let me disturb your nap"**, he jokingly remarked while grinning that crooked grin that she'd quickly grown used to.

"**Let me guess. You stayed up late last night studying, didn't you?"**

"**Good guess"**, she lied.

"**I talked to my parents about your dad's invitation."**

Impatient for an answer, he countered with, **"And?"**

"**They thought it was a good idea. They just don't know when would be a good time yet."**

"**Really? Well let me know when they want to come over and I'll let my dad know."**

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for class to start. After their early morning conversation, the rest of the day went by surprisingly quickly. Manami stayed for practice after school and naturally Toshio waited there to cheer her on as was his usual routine lately. He had finally made it home after seeing Manami off at the train station and was waiting on his dad to come home so he inform him of the good news that he'd received that morning.

_' Well, might as well start dinner to help the time pass by.'_

Toshio was busy with preparations when he heard the front door open and shut in quick succession. He knew he wouldn't have to go to find his dad. His dad would head for the kitchen to see what his son was getting into. Sure enough, he heard his dad heading down the hallway and knew it wouldn't be long before he popped his head around the corner in anticipation of sneaking a peak at what his son was making.

_'Any minute now. 3...2...1...'_

Toshio turned around just in time to see his dad appear in the doorway. His dad was just too predictable these days. Always trying to catch him off guard and never really succeeding.

"**Sorry I'm late. Dinner smells great. Do you need some help in here?"**

"**You're too late, old man. I'm done already. If you really want to, you can set the table."**

After Shintani set the table and they sat down to eat, Toshio gave his dad the news.

"**Dad, I talked to Manami this morning about what we were talking about the other day."**

Expecting a negative answer, Shintani asked, **"So, what did they say? They're not coming are they?"**

_'Dad's so predictable.'_

"**Of course they're coming"**, Toshio laughed. **"Quit being so negative, dad. They just have to find out when they can come."**

Shintani smiled in excitement. Toshio couldn't remember ever seeing his dad so happy. In fact, at that moment, they were both smiling the same smile, the only exception being that Shintani's was just just a little bit wider and a little brighter.

* * *

Between the two families, they decided that the best time for everyone would be the following Thursday. It gave everyone enough time to make alternate arrangements and finalize plans. Manami's family even had a little surprise for Shintani. Suzuna found out about their plans and invited herself. Manami was worried that Toshio's dad would be upset about the extra mouth to feed.

Suzuna's response to that was,** "Don't worry. He won't mind. I'm a friend of his too."**

* * *

Thursday arrived and they arrived at the Hinata household with time to spare. Toshio had given Manami directions to his house earlier in the day and warned her it was kind of hard to find if she wasn't familiar with the area. He didn't know her parents' remarkable sense of direction, not to mention her aunt's luck. Taking charge, Misaki knocked on the door. Toshio was surprised to see them already and let them in.

"**Wow, it smells great"**, Misaki remarked.

"**Toshio and I** **have had plenty of practice"**, they heard coming from the kitchen.

"**Wish we could say the same for Misaki"**, Takumi muttered to himself, just loud enough for Misaki to hear.

"**I heard that"**, Misaki growled and glared at him menacingly.

"**It's not like it's a big secret"**, he cajoled and playfully squeezed her shoulder, knowing full well what was going to follow.

Toshio watched as Manami's mom swung at her dad only to have it stopped in midair. Her dad then maneuvered her in just such a way to steal a kiss from his now very irritated wife. Manami blushed at seeing this byplay between her parents and turned her head to see the amusement on Toshio's face.

"**Don't mind them. They're always like this"**, Manami apologized to him in embarrassment and stopped when she saw his amusement was followed by a expression that looked to be longing.

Manami wondered more about Toshio's mom. Where was she? Why wasn't she around? They rarely talked about their families and when they did, he only mentioned his dad, never his mom. It's not that she'd never thought about asking him, she just never could figure out a good way to ask.

_'Does it hurt to see my mom and dad together and their obvious affection for each other? Maybe tonight, I'll finally ask him.'_

Toshio left Manami and her family in the living room to help his dad for a bit. Manami sat and waited while listening to the clattering and clanging from the kitchen. Just then, Shintani popped around the corner excitedly and greeted his guests, surprised to see that Suzuna had tagged along too. Manami took that as her cue to escape to the kitchen.

She wandered into the kitchen and offered,**"Need some help?**

Jumping at her voice, he replied,** "You're a guest. Guests aren't allowed to help."**

At her put off expression, he laughed and continued, **"Actually we're all done in here. Do you think I would have let my dad escape otherwise?"**

Manami stood there silently and as she watched him finishing up, realized that this was the perfect time to ask.

_'How can I ask him about something like that?'_

Sensing her scrutiny, he turned around and saw her standing there and staring at him intently. Realizing she wasn't really staring at him but was in fact deep in thought again. What has she been so concerned about lately?

He called her name and it took a couple times before she finally awoke from her daze.

Concerned, he asked,** "What's wrong? You've been really distracted lately and it's starting to worry me."**

"**Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking."**

Toshio was about to call her bluff when his dad walked in the room. He suddenly changed his look from one of concern to one of impatience.

"**It took you long enough, old man. I've been waiting for you to come back and help me with all this food."**

Manami followed behind them slowly, hoping to avoid her parent's attention. If her parent's noticed they didn't say anything but followed along with Suzuna and Shintani's cheerful banter. Manami was finishing up her meal when Toshio caught her eye and motioned for her to meet him outside when she was finished. Dragging her feet she finished, put her plates in the kitchen, and followed him out to the front porch where he was sitting on the steps waiting patiently. He turned and gave a look of concern.

_'Guess this is it.'_

"**Now will you tell me what's wrong?"**

The emotion that he put into those words made up her mind for her. She had to tell him what was on her mind.

"**Does it hurt to see my family like that?"**

Confused now, more than ever, he asked, **"What do you mean by that?**

She clarified, **"Seeing my mom and dad together like that, I mean."**

He finally caught on to what had been eating at her all night.

"**I think I understand now. My mom left along time ago and it's not a big deal to me anyway. It bothers my dad so I've learned to avoid the subject. So that's why you've been acting so strange lately."**

To help her understand, he told her everything that his dad told him when he'd finally started asking about his mom. The look in her eyes told him she couldn't understand why someone would do that to their own family. He reached for her hand in understanding and was surprised to feel her gripping his hand tightly, like she was trying to comfort him in some way. It warmed his heart to realize that she cared enough about him that she was hurting for him. He decided to try something that he'd been wanting to try for a while now.

He whispered, **"Thanks for worrying about me, Ami."**

She leaned closer to hear, **"I can barely hear you. What did you say?"**

Taking his chance, he made his move and kissed her before she could protest. To his surprise though, she didn't pull away. In fact she was leaning in. At that moment, someone cleared their throat.

"**Am I interrupting?"**

Toshio could've killed his dad for interrupting but then he looked up to see his dad smirking at them.

"**I just came to let you know that your family is getting ready to head home"**, he told Manami.

At her shocked look, he laughed, and then felt a little guilty when she ran for the door.

"**Dad, I could kill you. Did you know that you have the worst timing?"**

"**Shio, it could've been a lot worse. Takumi was getting ready to come find her."**


	11. Chapter 11

To Manami, it seemed like the night would never end. She couldn't get the events from earlier out of her mind.

_'Oh god, what was I thinking? How could I let that happen? How am I going to face him?'_

She thought back to when they'd left Toshio's house earlier that evening. Toshio acted like nothing had just occurred between the two of them. However, his dad winked at her and sent a disturbingly familiar grin her way as he was standing at the doorway saying his goodbyes to her mom and aunt. She stood patiently on the walkway with her dad, feeling his eyes watching her suspiciously but subtly avoiding his gaze. Noticing her mom and aunt were finished and now heading their way, she took that as her cue to turn around and started away from the house. Her family had made no remarks about her earlier disappearance with Toshio but she knew that didn't mean that she was off the hook.

_'Knowing them, they'll probably wait until I least expect it and then bombard me with so many questions, I won't know what hit me.'_

After what seemed to be an eternity of tossing and turning, she looked toward the window and noticed little rays of light starting to peek through the shades.

_'I thought morning would never get here.'_

She sat up in bed, wondering how things would be when her and Toshio met up this morning at school. She wondered if things would be uncomfortable or if they would be like they always were. Had the kiss last night changed things between the two of them? She lowered her eyes to the clock on the bedside table and cringed. She'd been unable to get to sleep last night and realized that today was going to be a very long day.

"_Well, at least we don't have practice today after school", _she whispered to herself.

Silently she prayed that the day would go by quickly and dropped back on the bed.

Manami walked through the front gates of her school and was surprised that today Toshio was already there. In fact, he had been waiting for her to arrive so the could walk to class together this morning. She sighed and mentally prepared herself. She walked up to him and was totally unprepared for the soft look that flashed over his features. He reached for her backpack and threw it over his shoulder.

_'Why didn't I notice it before? If people see us like this, they're going to think something's going on between us.'_

Toshio heard her sigh and looked over to see her deep in thought yet again.

_'What's going on with this girl?'_

He reached for her hand only to realize that she was avoiding taking hold of it. He lowered his hand back to his side confused about her reaction this morning.

_'After last night, I was almost certain that she had feelings for me', _he thought to himself in frustration.

They'd made it to their classroom and he watched helplessly as she pulled out her chair, sat, and lowered her head. He pulled out his seat, sat, and watched her quietly from where he was sitting.

_'What went wrong between last night and now?'_

From under her arm, Manami watched the range of emotions flitting across Toshio's face and felt horrible for the way the way she was acting. She couldn't understand why she was responding this way. She wanted to reach out to him but her body wouldn't cooperate. Noticing the other students arriving for the day, she lifted her head and Toshio turned away from her to talk to some friends of his that were standing just inside the door. For Manami, the day seemed like it would never end. Lunch came and neither of them said a word. For the fist time since meeting Toshio, the silence unnerved Manami. Toshio sat and ate with her out of habit, but his attention was focused on the people around them rather than her. She wanted to apologize and make things right between them again.

_'Why can't I get out the words?'_

Class ended and they left for the train station together as it had become routine for them. However, he didn't try to grab her book bag and again neither of them made attempt at starting a conversation. They walked their normal route in utter silence and she thought that she'd never felt so alone. Waiting at their usual platform for their trains to arrive, Manami attempted to make eye contact for the first time today.

_'He won't even look at me', _she despaired.

Her train arrived first, at its usual time, and she pushed through the crowd toward the doors that had just now opened in front of her. She sat in her usual seat and gazing through the window, noticed him standing there in the crowd watching her just as intently as she was watching him. As the train started moving deliberately away from the station, she tilted her head into the window, and felt the wetness building up on her cheeks.

_'Is it too late? How can I fix this?'_


	12. Chapter 12

Toshio made it home and unknowingly, slammed the door shut with a little more force than usual. Today had been an excruciatingly frustrating day for him. He'd started out the day thrilled to see Manami and find out how exactly their relationship had changed after the events of the night before. The last thing that he'd been expecting was the cold shoulder that he'd gotten from Manami. It hurt immensely, thinking that everything that had run through his mind were wrong.

_'I'm such an idiot',_ he reprimanded himself.

He headed for his room, where he set his bag on the floor by his bed, and headed to the kitchen so he could decide what to prepare for that evening's meal. He peered through the cabinets, trying to pick something that would be quick and easy to make. His thoughts were on everything but the matter at hand and he just wanted this day to be over with as soon as possible.

_'Maybe I should just sleep on it. Things might be clearer if I get a little bit of time to think it over.'_

He started on dinner, knowing that his dad would be home soon. As he progressed further and further, he stayed alert for the sound of his father arriving home. When everything was ready, the table was set, and his father still hadn't shown up yet, Toshio began to worry. He wondered if perhaps his dad had to work late but after a little thought he realized that his dad would have contacted him to let him know.

_'Dad always called ahead of time if he was going to be working late', _Toshio reminded himself.

He sat there at the table, watching the food get cold, and the light filtering through the windows darkening. He decided that maybe he should check his dad's work and a couple other places that he frequented and see if he could find him. He covered all the dishes and was getting himself ready to go out when he heard a key turning in the lock. The front door opened and he heard his dad in deep conversation with someone just outside the door. He stood there in shock as his dad came through the door with someone close behind him. Not paying attention to anything but the person he was with, he bumped into his son, and stopped when he saw the glare sent his way. Barely sparing a glance for the woman, Toshio was trying to come up with something to say to his dad when he found his eyes drawing back to the woman standing just behind his dad, watching him curiously.

_'She came over last night for dinner. Manami's aunt?'_

"**Hi. We haven't been introduced, have we? I'm Suzuna Ayuzawa, childhood friend of your dad's and Manami's aunt."**

While Toshio stood there speechless, trying to think of the appropriate response, Shintani added," **I was at the train station, on my way home and ran into her. She didn't have anything to do, so I invited her back over for dinner."**

Toshio nodded absentmindedly, just glad his dad was home safe. He thought about the meal that was sitting on the table and getting colder by the minute. Excusing himself, he started to bring the dishes back into the kitchen so he could try to reheat them and salvage what he could. He pretended not to notice his dad, following closely behind with the remainder.

"**Shio, I'm sorry I'm so late. You must have been worried about me",** Shintani apologized.

Toshio shrugged it off, **"Dad, it's okay. I was just worried about the food getting cold. It's no big deal."**

Shintani knew his son better than anyone and knew he was upset. How could he not be upset? So much had happened to him in his young life, things that no child should ever have to go through. He knew that he wasn't always the best dad, he couldn't always give his son everything he wanted. He tried, but sometimes just trying wasn't enough. This wasn't the time for that though. Something else was bothering his son, not just the fact that Shintani came home later than usual. He'd have to find out and hopefully it would be before the night was over.

"**Okay, food's ready", **Toshio called out. **"Our plates are already sitting out so we just need to grab an extra set for our guest."**

Shintani made a guilty face at the tone of the last remark and pulled out plates for Suzuna to use. They sat at the table and Toshio watched his dad's interaction with their guest. They were so at ease with each other it's like they hadn't been separated for so many years. The conversation flowed effortlessly between the two and the general feeling was of close familiarity. Shintani had only told his son that they had always been good friends and could even be considered as close as siblings. What Toshio felt, however, was something too intimate for something platonic.

_'I was sure that was how it was between me and Manami_ '

Shintani chose that moment to look at his son and saw him silently brooding over something. His son was troubled over something and he couldn't stand to see him so upset. Shio was normally a happy go lucky kid and he hadn't seen him like this in a long time, not since his mom left. Momentarily forgetting his guest, he decide he had to know this moment what was going on. There could only be one reason for his son to be so upset and he was convinced that he was at least partly to blame.

"**Shio, what's wrong? Did something happen between you and Manami? I mean other than...", **Shintani got in before being suddenly cut off.

"**I was wondering the same thing. Mom and I were visiting Misaki at the house when Manami came home from school. Normally, she greets us but this time she ran by us, oblivious to everything around her."**

She went on to explain how her mom and Misaki tried to get her to talk to them but she wouldn't even open the door. They were all very worried about her and Misaki wondered if it had something to do with Manami's sudden disappearance after dinner last night.

"**Manami was very disturbed last night, but we decided it would be best just to leave her alone at the time. Takumi wasn't home yet when I left but Misaki said she'd take care of him. Something about Manami not feeling well."**

Toshio pondered everything she'd just said and looked to his dad for confirmation. He wanted to tell everything that happened yesterday but he was worried about upsetting his dad. His dad tried to hide everything about that time in their lives. He was always worried about someone looking down on or pitying his son. He couldn't bear the thought of someone treating Toshio like that. For the most part, Toshio understood his reasoning but he'd felt that he'd needed to tell someone about it, like it would take away some of the pain in the telling. Toshio felt that his secret would be safe with Manami which was why he told her. She didn't look down on him for it, she didn't feel pity. He'd been right, she'd seen his pain and tried to help ease it for him.

"**Dad, I told Manami last night, and I think that maybe if we tell it again it might explain some things", **Toshio reassured his dad.

Shintani looked at his son in shock, _'So that's what they were talking about',_ and agreed that maybe they could trust Suzuna with this.

Shintani told Suzuna the story almost like it had just happened yesterday. She looked horrified that someone could actually abandon their child just like that. In fact, Toshio realized that it was the same reaction that Manami had had. He looked at his dad and knew they'd be able to trust her with this.

"**Dad, I have a little more to add. It's about what happened last night",** Toshio continued.

Toshio began to tell them about Manami's actions yesterday before dinner, how he'd been worried, and confronted her about it. He explained the 'disappearance' after dinner, her reactions to everything, holding hands, and finally the kiss and his dad's disruption of it.

_'If Manami finds out about all of this, I'm dead.'_

"**I'm not finished yet', **Toshio continued and went on to explain everything that had happened today and his confusion over her sudden change in attitude.

Suzuna smiled, sure that everything was much simpler than she'd originally thought.

"**I wouldn't say that Manami's feelings have actually changed. It's just a little more complicated than that. I'm sure you've noticed that she's nothing like the other girls."**

At Toshio's nod she continued with her explanation,** "She's more her parents' child than she thinks. Her father had been basically abandoned at birth. Sure his family took care of him but they didn't give him what every child deserves. Misaki and I, our father abandoned us at a young age. Because of their own childhoods, her parents were determined to make sure that she'd gotten what they hadn't. She deserved to have a whole family. They did their best and made sure that Manami never felt the pain of rejection or hurt. Then she started school and made friends. Not realizing it at the time, she assumed that they cared as much as her parents did. She later found out that they only cared about what she had and not her. She was devastated and from then on she stopped letting people outside the family in. She learned that the best way to avoid being hurt was to avoid all contact. I think she was just unconsciously protecting herself. It may not be that she doesn't care but that she cares too much."**

Toshio absorbed everything that he'd just been told and realized that might have been the case. He'd always noticed how she shied away from others. She interacted with them to a certain extent but never let them get too close. Why she let him in, he didn't know, but he took it as a blessing. He thanked Suzuna for everything.

"**It was my pleasure and I hope everything works out for the two of you", **she commented.

They finished their dinner, which had gotten cold yet again, and changed the topic of their conversation to something a little safer. Meanwhile, while the two adults engaged in conversation, Toshio began to contemplate ideas for regaining Manami's trust.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everybody,

Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about Toshio, Manami, or the story's readers. I have more chapters written out, just not printed up yet. Don't worry, you will find out why it's called Till We Meet Again very soon. I promise. Just be patient with me for a little bit more, I'm prepping for school and just haven't gotten into the swing of things yet. Next chapter should be up very soon and you will enjoy it. Thanks for your patience and I'll see you on the other side.

_**Karent79 **_


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